The
late 19th century brought countless changes to the face of Florida. The
landscape of towering pine trees and expansive cypress swamps on the
southerly peninsula invited new inhabitants and pioneered new industries,
including several northern logging companies. In those early years, armed
with only an ax, loggers clear cut the longleaf pine forests and harvested
the giant cypress.

These hundred year old pines and cypress, some thousands of years
old, and subsequent hand-cut logs were then rafted together and floated
downriver to nearby sawmills. It has been estimated that nearly 10
percent of these cut timbers sunk while in transit and were lost to
river bottoms where they were preserved by the cool water and lack of
oxygen.

Modern
day craftsman highly regard the wood that is milled from these pre-cut
submerged timbers, or deadhead logs, because of their great strength,
durability and resistance to rot. Wood from the sunken logs, revered for
its tight grain and array of colors ranging from blond to caramel to
black, is up to 10 times more valuable than conventional wood. It is
used to make upscale paneling, flooring and furniture.

The State of Florida claims ownership of most of the logs since they
are located on sovereign submerged lands. In 2000, a moratorium
prohibiting deadhead logging was lifted allowing loggers to retrieve
deadhead logs from Florida water bodies upon authorization and according
to specific legal and environmental conditions. However, logs that were
originally branded by the logging companies may still be claimed by
their original owners. Today, the authorization is provided through
DEP’s issuance of an Environmental Resource Permit from the Submerged Lands and
Environmental Resource Permitting Program and through a Use Agreement
from the Governor and Cabinet serving as the Board of Trustees of the
Internal Improvement Trust Fund.

Complete Sections A, C and F of
the application for the Environmental Resource
Permitting Program,
Form 62-330.060(1).
The permit cost is $420.

Enter into an agreement with the State
through a Board of Trustees of the Internal
Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida –
Sovereignty Submerged Lands Use Agreement for
Recovery of Pre-cut Submerged Timber.

A Use Agreement is executed for a period of 1 year

The fee for this agreement is $5,500.

As a condition of the Use Agreement, you will be required to
maintain liability insurance in the amount of $100,000 per
person and $200,000 per accident for personal injury or death.